In a first, Hyderabad traffic police to charge shop, house-owners for parking encroachments

HYDERABAD: Since parking has become a serious problem in the city, the traffic police in Hyderabad have decided to focus on the removal of obstructive parking and encroachments (ROPE) outside shops and other larger establishments in an effort to focus on expanding the available parking space.

According to Hyderabad Joint Traffic Commissioner A V Ranganath, it is the responsibility of shop-owners and supermarkets to provide adequate parking space. Therefore, he said, going forward, if owners of stores and larger establishments were seen impeding pathways or causing encroachments, "we will book them."

The store-owners would now be charged for parking offences and encroachments for the first time.

The Hyderabad traffic police have been conducting special drives for the last one week against obstructive parking and encroachment operations in various parts of the city as part of the elimination of obstructive parking and encroachment initiatives.

A special enforcement operation by the traffic police was carried out on Wednesday in a number of locations, including Nanalnagar, Tolichowki Junction, Hakeempet Road, Monda Market stretch, Gandhi X Road, Koti Government Maternity Hospital, Secunderabad, and Jubilee Hills, and cases against the offenders were filed.

Before taking serious action against the offenders, the traffic police will first educate shop-owners and other encroachers throughout the city. Following that, traffic officers will issue a warning to the encroachers and file charges if they continue to encroach on pathways and block roads.

We will first place more emphasis on the areas that are frequently found to be congested as a result of multiple encroachments. We will first educate the encroachers, then issue a warning, and then book cases, seize the shops and establishments, and hand them over to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for further action, said Joint Traffic Commissioner A V Ranganath.

"We have always charged vehicle-owners for parking encroachments, but this is the first time we have decided to charge store-owners, other establishments, and even households for parking encroachments."

"Offenders will be issued a Rs 1,000 parking fine and be the subject of a 39B prosecution about abandoned vehicles on the road. Store-owners will be charged for encroachments under Section 447 of the IPC, and repeat offenders would face additional criminal charges. This time, we have decided to book case against house owners who frequently block pathways in residential colonies and are in violation of Section 341 of the IPC," he said.

Ranganath has urged Hyderabad residents to post images and videos of parking encroachments on social media. Hyderabad traffic police will also provide a helpline number for complaints regarding parking encroachments.